Powered endless belt brush

Abstract

A hand held device for sweeping cloth and other surfaces and to convey the sweepings to a self-contained dust pan. An endless flat belt rotating on two pulleys of unequal diameter supports a plurality of transverse brushes which do the sweeping and conveying. Rotation is derived from a motor contained within the larger pulley. The motor is driven by direct current batteries when the operator presses a switch in the handle. The smaller pulley resides near an opening in the housing. The brushes, one after another sweep through the opening picking up any residues on the surface being brushed and conveys them onto a flat surface which is parallel to the conveying leg of the belt. This plate cooperates with the brushes to convey the particles of residue to the center of the dust pan. Gravity traps the particles beneath the conveying plate in the dustpan until dumping is accomplished. The brushes continue on through a comb, on around the main pulley and back to the opening for another stroke. The residues are dumped by the operator placing the unit over a waste receptacle with the opening up and rotating the dust pan to the open position. The pan pivots about the axis of the small pulley. A storage receiver stores the unit and recharges the batteries.

I claim: 
     
       1. A powered endless belt brush comprising: an elongated enclosed housing having a top wall, side walls, bottom wall and a closed end wall having a handle mounted thereon, said housing having an opening extending across the end of said housing opposite said closed end, a portion of said top wall adjacent said end opening curved downwardly toward said opening, said housing having a greater height dimension adjacent the closed end than at the end having said opening, a large hollow pulley means rotatably mounted in said housing adjacent the closed end and extending between the sidewalls thereof, a smaller pulley means extending across said housing adjacent said end opening, motor means mounted within said large pulley means and engaging said large pulley means to rotate said large pulley means, an endless belt means extending around said large and smaller pulley means, a plurality of spaced fastening means on said endless belt means, said fastening means attaching alternating rows of brushing means and scraping means to said endless belt means, an opening extending across the bottom wall substantially midway between said pulley means, a dust pan having side and bottom walls and extending along the bottom wall of said housing, a first end of said dust pan pivotally mounted on said housing adjacent said end opening and forming with said housing a debris receiving enclosure, said bottom wall opening positioned in communication with said dust pan, a second end of said dust pan having means engaging said housing adjacent the closed end thereof to retain said dust pan in a closed position, power supply means for said motor means mounted within said housing, whereby when said lower end opening of said housing is in contact with a surface to be cleaned the brushing means engages the surface and conveys debris through said end opening onto the surface of the housing bottom wall and to said bottom wall opening and into said dust pan. 
     
     
       2. The powered endless belt brush of claim 1 wherein said brushing means comprising a brush formed of substantially flexible sheet material having bristles mounted thereon and extending a distance across the width of said belt means, each said sheet formed substantially L-shaped with the long leg having openings therein for reception of said fastening means to attach said sheet to said belt means, and the other said leg having said bristles extending therefrom. 
     
     
       3. The powered endless belt brush of claim 1 wherein the brushing means comprising scrapers consisting of substantially flexible sheet material extending a distance across said belt means, each said scraper formed substantially L-shaped with the long leg having openings therein for reception of said fastening means to attach said scraper to said belt means the other said leg ending in a plain straight edge. 
     
     
       4. The powered endless belt brush of claim 1 wherein said fastening means are defined by flexible strips having engaged hook and loop portions on the ends thereof with one end of each strip attached to said belt means, the other end of each said strip extending through a respective opening in said brushing means with respective ends of said strips attached to hold said sheets to said belt means.